Chemical tanker sinks near Sri Lanka – risk of environmental catastrophe

The ship, which was registered in Singapore about two weeks ago, flew near Sri Lanka. This time they tried to turn it off, and when they succeeded, the ship began to sink. If a tanker sinks, hundreds of tons of oil could spill out of its fuel tanks into the sea.

“The ship is sinking. They are trying to pull it into the deep sea before it sinks to reduce sea pollution, but the back of the ship is moving,” said Captain Indica Silva, Sri Lanka Navy spokeswoman.

The ship also contains nitric acid, which, along with oil and other chemicals, can destroy the entire ocean, which environmentalists refer to as “bad environmental conditions.”

During the emergency evacuation, Sri Lankan authorities temporarily halted all fishing near the sinking ship.

Photo: A chemical tanker sinks near Sri Lanka (facebook.com SriLankaAirForceGuardiansoftheSkies)

What caused the incident

According to Sri Lanka, the cause of the fire on the Express-Pearl, which was carrying 25 tonnes of chemicals, was a nitric acid leak, which the team knew on May 11. Singapore Company The ship’s owner, X-Express Shipping, confirmed that crews were aware of the leak, but that Qatar and India had not allowed the ship to die before the fire could begin.

At the same time, Sri Lanka’s decision to allow the ship to enter its waters provoked criticism from island officials. Authorities lodged a complaint with police against the ship’s captain, and this week he and the mechanic were questioned by law enforcement officers. The ship’s captain and two mechanics have already been barred from leaving Sri Lanka by a court.